Google Updates Chromecast With New Features

[Google I/O 2014] Back in 2013, Google announced a little HDMI dongle called the Chromecast. The device was rather unassuming but thanks to its features and capabilities, it went on to do rather well for itself. Speaking during Google I/O, Rishi Chandra, the Director of Product Management for Chromecast revealed some updates and changes that Google has made to the device.

First of for those who are unfamiliar, Chromecast basically allows users to mirror content on their mobile devices or laptop onto their TV, so if you wanted to share a video with your family, instead of having everyone crowd around your tiny mobile phone, you could instead mirror it on your TV for everyone to see, and now with the changes Google is making, it will finally allowing mirroring of Android devices.

Now one of the changes that Google has made to Chromecast is the ability for users to share videos with others without having to hook onto the same WiFi network. There are a number of reasons why you might not want to give out your WiFi password. Maybe you forgot the password or maybe you’d rather not share your network.

With the updated Chromecast, as long as it detects that the the device is in range, users will be able to share content at a touch of a button. Chandra also revealed a new ambient experience they are bringing to Chromecast that will take advantage of that lovely big TV screen sitting in your living room.

The feature is called Backdrop and basically allows users to add photos to the ambient wallpaper which is normally shown on the screen when Chromecast is idle. This will be available on both the iOS and Android app. The images will be high-quality in nature and will be curated by Google to ensure quality. The feature is expected to roll out to all users later this summer.